July 02, 2024
The Euro Cup kicked off on June 14 and is now down to the final eight, with the beautiful game having seen its fair share of victories and upsets in recent weeks. At the same time, battles have been waged on the political stage, with the far right surging first in European Parliament elections and then in the first round in France this past weekend.
All this talk of soccer and politics made us wonder … how well would these countries compete if the matches were decided based on national leader approval ratings?
Soccer powerhouses England and France are favored to dominate the Euros. But their leaders, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and President Emmanuel Macron, both of whom suffer from low approval ratings (and are watching their electorates head to the polls this weekend), wouldn’t generate the same optimism on the pitch.
What happens when we swap national sides for leaders – is your favorite team still in with a chance?
More For You
Geoffrey Hinton, the ‘Godfather of AI,’ joins Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World podcast to talk about how the technology he helped build could transform our lives… and also threaten our very survival.
Most Popular
Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage holds a post-budget conference in London, United Kingdom, on Nov. 26, 2025.
Phil Lewis/WENN
Nigel Farage, the far-right UK leader, reportedly told donors that he plans to join forces with the center-right Conservative Party ahead of the next election. Right-wing groups in other parts of Western Europe have largely avoided making such an alliance.
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.